The Addiction Cure…?

Ibogaine

Ever heard of it? Don't feel bad if you say no, I hadn't either until a few weeks ago. As it turns out, Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance found in some plants and it's making a name for itself as a possible recovery 'cure'. What is ibogaine and why are you just hearing about it? Well, I'm about to tell you!

It carries some pretty heavy side effects, but it also has been used to treat addiction, depression and there are even a few articles claiming it can treat diabetes. While many doctors rave that this miracle drug is non-addictive and not habit-forming, testing in the United States has yet to be given the green light. Although there are some clinics in the states that are up and operational and offer ibogaine as an alternative, it's still highly debated.

Though the benefits of this drug seem almost too good to be true, as people everywhere who have tried it claim to have a 'movie' or 'dream-like' sequence, through their subconscious mind.

This extremely potent drug does something to stem the brain's reward system and therefore paves the way to attack the addiction at the very core.

Scientists and doctors alike have raved about this 'self-healing molecule'.

This is when your body can not coordinate voluntary body movement. These symptoms could include changes in:

speech

gate

eye movements

While these might seem like minor side effects, they are direct indications that your nervous system is not functioning properly, which could lead to a number of other health issues.

Xerostomia:

Also commonly known as dry mouth. This has been known to last for 4-24 hours after ingestion of Ibogaine; some patients even experienced vomiting.

Long QT Syndrome:

Some patients who were received the Ibogaine treatment developed Long QT Syndrome in which symptoms consist of;

fainting

seizures

sudden death

QT refers to the intervals of electrical activity in one's heart. Usually, they are seconds or milliseconds long as gauged by an electrocardiogram. So take that information about QT, and think about the term "Long QT syndrome", what can we determine?

Bonus points if you guessed that means the QT interval is longer than normal. Even more bonus points if you think that sounds like a bad thing.

At the moment, not too terribly much is known about the extent of these side effects and how often they actually occur, although Brazil is currently the front-runner in treating alcohol addiction with Ibogaine.

Ibogaine as a cure?

In my mind, treating addiction has no chemical cure. It might work wonders for the people who have tried it and hopefully they live long addiction-free lives after. However, for me and a lot of people, drinking wasn't always about the quest to feel amazing, but more about the effort to stop the pain; a deeper hurt that needed to be resolved.

It suffices to say, there isn't ONE deadset way to recover, but a culmination of at least two. One to address the physical dependency, and another to deal with the coping mechanism.

Even if Ibogaine is successful at treating the mental cravings, we will still need a set of therapy guidelines to follow. There is still an issue that was at the core of the destructive habit.

This is why you need to seek a treatment facility. You need something that offers professional aid if you should choose this path. They will guide you through the following processes to fully understand and manage the triggers of your addiction. Be as informed as you possibly can before you decide if this is right for you. Ibogaine might look like an addiction cure, but there is a saying about things that look 'too good to be true.'

Wow! I am sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.
I, too am skeptical. When writing this piece there weren’t too many articles about how “well” it’s doing in testing.

In writing this, it felt more like a disclaimer for a commercial, where the side effects of the drug take up more of the ad space than the actual ad.

I also highly doubt the “miracle” cure for a problem that, at least for my addiction, it came from a real hurt inside me that needed to be addressed and dealt with; not simply handled with another drug.